Circular hand-knitting machine



Feb. l5, 1938. s. BRoADwIN CIRCULAR HAND KNITTING MACHINE ,Filed April 2l, 1936 Wm WN RD oA TOT E VB N B INH C Sm P M A S Patented Feb. l5;- 1938 Uiiiil@ STATE glml @REGULAR HAND-MTW@ Millm Sampson Ercadwin, hrfoohlm N. li., assigner to Ainslie Knitting Machine o.., lines Broolillyn, N. Y., a' corporation oi New Yeah application naar ai, met, sani No. vases Claims..

This invention relates to circular hand-knitting machines and more particularly to such machines adapted to be used in the home. One object oi this inventionl is to make a circular hand-knitting 5 machine in an economicalmanner while retaining the maximum number of capabilities of the machine. It is characteristic of machines made in accordance with this invention that there are the minimum number oi parts and yet the machine is easily adjusted.

In the drawing,

Fig. l is a view, largely in vertical section, through a circular hand-knitting machine made in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail view in vertical section of the winding end of the machine in operative relation with the driving gear;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the needle and cam cylinders; o Fig. e is a horizontal View in inverted section taken just below the cam cylinder on the line il-fi of Figure l, showing the cam cylinder, needle cylinder and gear for the cam cylinder;

Fig. 5 is a detail view in vertical section showing the shouldered end of the needle cylinder in operative position;

Fig. 6 is a detail view in section on the line d--t of Fig. l, showing how the needle cylinder is held in the frame of the machine;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the metal insert ior the cam path in the cam cylinder; while Fig. 8 is a plan view of the jaws of the machine showing the manner in which the lugs hold the machine rigid on the table edge.

It is desirable that circular hand-knitting machnes for home use be inexpensive, easily assembled or adjusted, and that the machines be capable of performing the maximum number of functions. The ordinary knitting machine has a large number of parts which are hard to make and t together and which of course is entirely too complicated for home use. The machine which is described below is adapted to perform all the necessary functions topermit rapid and 45 economic manufacture of knitted articles in Athe jbperation of the machine sometimes tends to jar (till. d-d) vertical face which forms the bottom of the law opening has lateral ears it projecting lengthwise of the table on either side (see Fig. 8). These ears or lugs it when lying close tothe edge of 'the table serve to prevent the machine from swinging on the thumb screw i2 as a center.

The casting comprising the main frame It oi the machine provides direct mountings for a needle cylinder, a cam cylinder and the driving gear, as well as certain additional parts which will be hereinafter described. f I will nrst explain how the cam cylinder is mounted in the main frame. The main portion of the main frame carrying the Vcylinders extends outwardly from the table, and there is a depending portion it which carries the driving gear and some additional parts. This main portion of the frame is hollow, leaving an upper bearing plate i5 and a lower bearing plate it. The cam cylinder 'l of the machine is supported by the upper bearing plate it. The cam cylinder can he made out of wood, composition or any other desired material, and consists broadly of a hollow cylinder with a depending sleeve it at its lower end which projects through the upper bearing plate it of the iframe.` The depending sleeve it ts in a round opening in the upper bearing plate i5 of the frame so as to permit the needle cylinder to revolve. The main body of the cam cylinder rests on the'bearing plate iti. Means are provided on the depending sleeve t of the cam cylinder for holding the cam cylinder in the opening of the plate i5 and also for transmitting motion from the driving gear to the cam cylinder. In the example shown in the drawing these means consist of a composition gear ring I9 iitting over the lower end of the depending sleeve i8 and a split ring 2l) underneath the gear ring lying in a notch 2| in the depending sleeve I8. As long as the split ring is in its notch the gear ring I9 will be held on the depending sleeve I8. In order to insure that the gear ring I9 will not turn with relation to the cam cylinder, there is a at surface 22 on one side of the depending sleeve (see Fig. 4). The inner periphery of the gear ring is enlarged tolli; the surface 22 snugly.

The gear ring i9 on the cam cylinder is driven by a gear 23 fastened to the depending portion 24 oi' the main frame by a screw stud 25. The driving gear 2l lies in a vertical plane. The gear teeth on the driving gear 28' are on one side of the-periphery, which permits them te engage the teeth of the horizontal gear ring it on the cam cylinder. The driving gear can be fastened to the frame by either oi two threaded holes 26 in the depending portion of the trame and when the stud tastens the driving gear to the trame by means of the upper threaded hole, the driving gear will'be in operative engagement with the gear ring I9. The driving gear can be turned by a handle 2l at its periphery.

The needle cylinder can be made of wood. composition or metal, is mounted inside the cam cylinder and carried by the main frame of the machine. The needle cylinder consists of a hollow tube 29 with open slots 30 around its periphery extending throughout its entire length. The lower end of the needle cylinder passes through the lower bearing plate it and an auxiliary bearing plate 3l a short distance above the lower plate I8. This auxiliary plate 3| is a horizontal rib spaced from the lower plate i6 and formed as part oi' the main frame. There is an opening through this auxiliary plate 3| and another hole-or opening through the lower plate I6, these two openings being concentric with the opening in the upper bearing plate i5 carrying the cam cylinder. Whereas the opening through the upper bearing plate i5 is circular, the openings in the auxiliary plate and the lower plate are wedge-shaped. The particular embodiment in the drawing shows an opening which is round except i'or about 160 which is in the form of a V 32 (see Fig. 6). These openings in the lower plate and the auxiliary plate are too small to permit passage of the depending sleeve i8 oi the cam cylinder I1, but they are sized to permit passage of the needle cylinder 29, and the normal position for the needle cylinder is with its lower end projecting through the openings in the lower and auxiliary plates and with its operative end extending up through the needle cylinder. The needle cylinder is gripped between the auxiliary and lower plates by means of a Wedging jaw 33, which presses against the needle cylinder on the side opposite the wedge 32, thereby causing the needle cylinder to be gripped between the wedge and the jaw. This jaw is moved by a. thumb screw 34 mounted in the outer wall of the mai-n frame I0 as shown in Fig. 6.

The machine is equipped with latch needles 35 adapted to move vertically in the slots 30 of the needle cylinder, these slots being oi.' such depth that the operating butts 36 of the needles project outwardly beyond the needle cylinder into the cam cylinder. The inner surface of the cam cylinder ts the needle cylinder so cam paths have to be provided in the cam cylinder for the 'operating butts of the needles. These cam paths are constructed by cutting a diagonal slot 31 through the cam cylinder from one side to the other. The slot occupies a width greater than that oi the needle cylinder but not sumcient to cut the cam cylinder entirely into separate top and bottom portions. In the examples shown in the drawing this slit is' at about a. 45 angle with the horizontal. For ease in manufacture and lightness of the cam cylinder, it may be desirable not to use a metal which will be hard enough to withstandv the wear on this cam path. If a soft material is used to make the cam cylinder it is therefore necessary to provide bearing plates in this slot. In the example shown in the drawing, the bearing plates for the slot 31 consist of a'metal insert il such as shown in Fig. 7. I'his insert consists of a metal plate folded rover on itself so that one leg provides a lining for the lower side of the slot and the other leg provides a lining for the upper side of the slot. In the drawing these legs are designated by the reference characters 39 and 40 respectively. Each such leg or plate is of course cut out at the center to permit insertion of the needle cylinder. It will be obvious that as the cam cylinder is revolved while the needle cylinder Astands still, the needle butts 3E Awill be forced to travel upwardly on one side oi the needle cylinder and downwardly while on the other side. It at any time thisinsert 38 becomes worn, it is very simple to substitute another one.

The means by which needles are inserted or removed is very simple. At one point on the inner periphery of the cam cylinder there is a vertical groove from the top. oi.' the cylinder down to the insert 38, and there is a notch in the upper leg of the latter. 'This groove and notch are sumciently large to permit passage of the operating butt 38 of any needle which is inserted in a slot 30 in the needle cylinder. The length of stitch drawn is determined in this machine by the relative elevations of the needle and cam cylinders. To get the correct length of stitch it is necessary to vary the height of the needle cylinder, and this is done by loosening the thumb screw 34 and its movable jaw 33, adjusting the height of the needle cylinder and once more tightening the jaw against the cylinder.

The knitting yarn is presented to the needles by a yarn guide 43 which consists of a wire with a loop or eye one end of which wire is stuck in a hole in the top of the cam cylinder l1. This eye is just a small distance above the hooks of the needles when at their uppermost point of travel, and circumierentially the eye shown in the drawing is about 45 in advance of the point where the needles are at their highest elevation. The yarn can come to this guide 43 either from spools 44 carried around on the cam cylinder by a bent wire support 45, or from a cone set on the oor or table. From this supply the yarn goes through central eyes 49, 48 formed in a bent wire yarn stand 46 carried by the main frame i0 of the machine. In the example shown in the drawing, this wire stand 46 has its lower end screwed into the upper jaw l I of the main frame by means of a winged lock nut 41. By adjusting the wire with one hand and manipulating this lock nut with the other, the upper end of the wire stand containing the eyes 48 and 49 can be properly positioned over the top of the needle cylinder a short distance abovethe yarn guide 43. The positioning of these eyes 48 and 49 is such that the open eye 48 is directly above the center of the needle cylinder, and when the open eye is' in this position the closed eye 49 will be slightly eccentric to the axis of the needle cylinder. A yam coming from the cone is threaded through the closed eye 49, then the open eye 48 and thence to the yarn guide 43. In the construction shown in Fig. l, however, the knitting yarn is coming from the spool 44 rather than from a cone threaded through the eyes 43, 48. The purpose of feeding the knitting yarn from the spool 44 carried by the cam cylinder is to permit the manufacture of a knitted tube having a iiller or lling of cotton In this case the filler 50 is threaded through the eyes I9, 48 and thence directly into the inside of the needle cylinder. The knitting yarn-due to the fact that the bent wire support 45 carrying the spool M is only about 12i separated from the yarn guide I3-passes from the spool to the yarn I guide 43 to one side of the filler. If it is desired to use two yarns in such knitting, a second'wire of uniform width throughout their length, some support 45 can-be placed on the cam cylinder diametrically opposite the rst mentioned support 45, and both yarns can go to the one guide 43..

In pulling the yarn through the old ,loops in knitting on this machine, the ordinary way to get the proper length of stitch is to causethe hook of the needle to go into its slot 30, as shown inthe upper-end of Fig. 1. The horizontal dotted line just above the top of the needle cylinder represents the position of the stitches already formed,

land the dotted line going down through' the needle cylinder represents the nished fabric. Since the ends of the slot are not enlarged but are the -inner periphery oi thecylinder projecting beyond the slots and main portion of the' cylinder. By thus having the inner wall of the cylinder extend above the ends of the slots, the needles do not pull down into the slots when .they pull the loops through the old stitches.

l Assuming that the machine is to knit a tube iii with a core dit, the knitting operation is started in the following manner. The machine is rst secured to the table or bench by placing the edge of that object inbetween the jaws ii and tightening up on the thumb screw i2. The driving .gear 23 is mountedin operative relation with the gear ring it byy screwing the stud it in the upper threaded hoie 26 on the depending arm 2d oi the main frame. The knitting yarn t@ is threaded from the spool [it on 'therevolving wire support d5 to the yarn guide d3, and the 'yarn is caused to wrap itself around the hooks oi' all the needles once or twice by turning the driving gear 25. The loose end of the yarn is then zig-zagged across the needle cylinder, hooking it over the hooks of a few of the diametrically opposite needles. A starting Wire or hook to put a weight on the fabric is then inserted through the center of the needle cylinder and hooked onto the strands lying across the top of the needle cylinder. It is not necessary to have formed any stitches prior to the putting in oi the starting hook, as the hook can be fastened on to the zigzag loose ends spaced across from one diametrically opposite needle to the other. The machine is now turned slowly, observing that all the needle latches are open and that each needle is forming its stitch. Thelength of stitch being drawn can now be adjusted by loosening the thumb screw 34 and raising or lowering the needle cylinder as needed. This starting wire or hook should have sufficient weight on it to keep tension downwardly on the fabric, thus insuring that the machine will cast on the stitches. As soon as a few courses of stitches have been knit, the nller or core 50 is threaded through the guide eyes, 48 and introduced intothe upper end of the needle cylinder. I

By pressing the loose end of this filler down into the cylinder opening and resuming knitting, the ller will thereafter be drawn forward automatically by friction with the knitted tube 5|.

'- The machine which I have invented is capable not only of being used for knitting but also for winding yarn. It is capable of'winding yarn from a skein onto a bobbin or cone 52, such for instance as shown in Fig. 2. In order to use .the machine for winding the yarn, it is clamped onto the edge of the table or bench in inverted position, that is to say, with the thumb screw i2 on top of the table or shelf. The-stud 25 is then removed from the threaded hole 2t nearestthe needle` and cam cylinders and the driving gear 23 is fastened in its other operative position by screwing the stud 25 into the threaded hole 2t .furthest from the needle and cam cylinders. On

the end of the arm 2i of the main frame i@ is mounted a revoluble spindle 5t. This spindle projects from the end of the arm 2d and is tapered so that the core of the cone 52 can be wedged thereon and revolved with the spindle. Mounted on the inner end of the spindle 53 in the end of the arm 2li is a small gear bfi which is tight on the spindle. This gear is so spaced with relation to the adjacent threaded hole it that the gear teeth on the driving gear 23 mesh with the teeth on the gear 5d when the driving gear is in the hole 2t adjacent the gear 5d. It therefore follows that revolution of the driving gear 23 will cause revolution of the spindle 53 and of the core 52 of the cone on the spindle.

It will be seen that this machine is very inexpensive to manufacture, has only a few parts and is simple in operation. At the same time its capabilities in knitting are quite extensive, and in addition it has the function of preparing the yarn for the knitting.

What I claim is:

l. A circular hand-knitting machine comprising a frame having concentric openings there-.

through and a needle cylinder and an integral earn cylinder adapted to ilt in said openings, there being a slot cut through the cam cylinder from one side, to the other at an angle from the horizontal but leaving material between the upper and lower parts of the c cylinder at both sides thereof to act as a complete `cam path for the needle butts, in combination with a metal insert in said slot to provide 'bearing surfaces for the butts.

2. A circular hand-knitting machine comprising a frame having concentric openings therethrough and a needle cylinder and an integral cam cylinder adapted to fit in said openings, there being a straight slot out through the earn cylinder from one side to the other at an angle from the horizontal but leaving material between the upper and lower parts of the cam cylinder at both sides thereof to act as a complete cam path for the needa butts, in combination with a unitary metal .".isert in said slot to provide upper and lower bearing surfaces for the butts.

3. A circular hand-knitting machine comprising a frame having concentric openings therein and a needle cylinder and a cam cylinder adapted to fit in said openings, a shoulder on the cam cylinder forming a bearingon the frame, in combination with a driving gear fastened to said frame and a driven gear removably mounted on the cam cylinder and holding it in the frame. adapted to transmit to the cam cylinder rotation imparted by the driving gear.

4. A circular hand-knitting machine'comprising a frame having concentric openings therein. two of said openings having wedge-shaped formations, in combination with a needle cylinder adapted to tit into said wedge-shaped openings, and a movable jaw in said frame adapted to grip l the needle cylinder against rotation.

5. A circular hand-knitting machine comprising a frame having: concentric ogs therein, a revoluble cam cylinder in the upper opening, a shoulder on said cam cylinder forming a besr- 

